Improvement in circular-knitting machines



I. PEPPER.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

Fatented Apri111,1876.

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NPETERS. PHQTQ-UTHDGRAPIIER, WASHINGTON D, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE.

JOHN PEPPER, OF LAKE VILLAGE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

.lMPRO-VEMENT IN CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,840, dated April11, 1876 application filed May 12, 1875.

To all whom it may concern;

Beit known that I, JOHN PEPPER, of Lake Village, in the county ofBelknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification,in which Figure 1 represents, in perspective, the knitting-machine. Fig.2 represents a vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 represents aplan of the dial or needleplate, showing some of the parts coacting withthe needle My invention relates to a circular-knittin g machine in whichnon-slidin g latch-needles are used; and it consists in the combinationof certain mechanisms with such non sliding latch-needles, as will behereinafter more specifically stated, for looping and feeding the yarnfor finishing the work; for pushing back the stitches or loops upon theneedles; for pressing the loops forward upon the needles, and foropening and closing the latches of the needles at regulated periods. V

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawlugs.

The bracket, stan d,or frameAmay be clamped to a table by theclamping-screw B, to hold it while being operated. To a bent arm, A,which is a part of the frame, there is suspended a shaft, (J, whichsustains the dial or nee dle-holder D, and around which shaft said dialcan freely turn. The needles (1 a a, &c., which are latch-needles, areheld in the dial D, and can be removed and replaced when necessary. Tothe arm A is secured an arm I) and yoke a, for forming a support for theshaft d, upon vious loops upon said needles. To the lower end of theshaft 0 there is attached a hub, H, having a flange, I, around it. Tothis hub H is fastened an arm, J, which has a journal or bearin g in itsupper end, upon which the finishing-wheel K revolves, saidfinishing-wheel being turned by the needles taking in between the teethf of said wheel, and so rotating it. Underneath the needles, and belowthe looperwheel G, there is a stationary ledge or cam, N, which, as theloops upon the needles come in contact with it, slides said loopsoutward upon the needles, so that they may be cast off or finished bythe finishing-wheel K. The pusher'wheel L, which is also turned by theneedles coming against its teeth g, stands in such relation of obliquityto the needles as to cause its projecting teeth to push back the loopsupon the needles, and in so doing to throw back or open the latches, sothat a new series of loops may be taken on the needles; and if from anycause any of the latches should not happen to remain open, alatch-opener, h, which takes in between the latch and the needle, throwsit open. The latch-opener h is stationary, and fastened to the frame atM.

The operation is exceedingly simple, as it must be in a machine with sofew parts or devices as that herein described. The loops being pushedback upon the needles, and the latches thereby thrown open by the wheelL, new loops are formed by the teeth of the wheel G, which are taken upby the hooks of the needles. The ledge N then slides the loops forwardfrom the rear of the needles, which close the latches over thenewly-taken-up loops, and the previous loops or stitches pass over thelatches, and are taken off or finished by the wheel K. The latches areclosed after the yarn is fed into the hooks of the needles by thesliding out of the needle-loop by the ledge, and before the needles passinto the loop-wheel G. The yarn-guide'i is made in the end of thelatch-regulator h.

I am aware that latch-needles arranged ra- ,diall y inward of aknitting-machine have been used in combination with a latch-regulator,and I do not claim this arrangement; but What I claim is-- 1. Thecombination of the latch-regulator h with the circular series ofnon-sliding latchneedles, arranged radially outward from the dial orneedle-holder D, as and for the purpose described and represented.

2. The combination, with a circular series of non-sliding latch-needles,projecting radially from the outside of the dial-plate or needle-holderD, of the finishing-wheel K, arranged beneath the needles, as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the circular series of non-slidinglatch-needles a,'projecting radially from the outside of the dial-plateor needle-holder D, of the caster-back Wheel L, arranged upon ahorizontal stud, as described,

whereby the stitches or loops are carried back from the hooks of theneedles and over their latches, as set forth.

4. The combination of the yarn-guide i, the ledge N, the circular seriesof non-sliding latchneedles a, and the loop-wheel G, as described,

whereby the yarn shall be fed into the hooks of the needles, and thelatches closed before the needles pass into or between the teeth of thelooper-wheel, as described.

JOHN PEPPER.-

Witnesses:

E. H. BLAISDELL, A. D. PLUMMER.

